Eidolon: Wraith Kings, Book 2

In a bid for more power, the Shadow Queen of Haradis unleashes a malignant force into the world. Her son Brishen, younger prince of the Kai royal house, suddenly finds himself ruler of a kingdom blighted by a diseased darkness. His human wife Ildiko must decide if she will give up the man she loves in order to save his throne. Three kingdoms on the verge of war must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king will raise an army of the dead to challenge an army of the damned. A tale of alliance and sacrifice.

Kiss of Steel: London Steampunk, Book 1

Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price? Blade is known as the master of the rookeries - no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood craving he's been quicker, stronger, almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel - or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking.

Magic Binds: Kate Daniels, Book 9

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she's faced could have prepared her for this.... Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.... Kate's father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power.

Imprudence

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England's scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue's best friend, Primrose, keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types. Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue's beginning to suspect what they really are...is frightened.

A Promise of Fire

Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice. Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her.

The Iron Duke

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession. But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England.

Master of Crows

In an isolated fortress, the Master of Crows battles an ancient god for possession of his soul. Renegade and heretic, he dreams of ways to defeat the god and destroy the priesthood who would execute him. Sent by her masters to betray him, a woman comes who possesses a weapon he can use to triumph over both, but only with the ultimate sacrifice. A tale of love and allegiance.

Do You Want to Start a Scandal

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? Perhaps the butler did it. All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: It wasn't her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers' true identity, she'll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville - the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she's ever had the misfortune to embrace.

Steam and Sorcery

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess....

Blood Vow: Black Dagger Legacy, Book 2

The Black Dagger Brotherhood continues to train the best of the best to join them in the deadly battle against the Lessening Society. Among the new recruits, Axe proves to be a cunning and vicious fighter - and also a loner isolated because of personal tragedy. When an aristocratic female needs a bodyguard, Axe takes the job, though he's unprepared for the animal attraction that flares between him and the one he is sworn to protect.

Etiquette & Espionage: Finishing School, Book 1

Fourteen-year old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. More interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea - and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy - Mrs. Temminnick is desperate her daughter become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish all right - but it's a different kind of finishing.

Where the Wild Things Bite

Delivering a rare book to a valued customer is definitely part of mild-mannered archivist Anna Whitfield's job description. You know what isn't? Protecting her precious cargo from midflight theft by the very pilot who is flying her to Half-Moon Hollow...while trying to appear as unappetizing as possible to the only other passenger, a vampire. Undead bookstore owner Jane Jameson could be waiting a very long time for her book. Possibly forever.

Siege: The Warrior Chronicles, Book 5

The land has become unnaturally quiet. It's as if everyone is waiting for some sign that Xandre can be beaten. That someone will stand up to him, and win. With Shanti calling the shots, and Cayan's battle know-how, it seems certain that the Chosen can be the catalyst. That they can lead the oppressed to freedom. But Xandre didn't become the Being Supreme by chance, and he doesn't intend for his rule to be stripped away so easily.

Welcome to Nocturne Falls - the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost's daughter, Santa Claus' niece, heir to the Winter Throne, and now...private investigator. Sort of. When she buys a sealed box at an estate sale and cat-related circumstances cause that box to be opened, life in Nocturne Falls starts to go haywire. Jayne has no choice but to figure out what she unleashed and how to recapture it.

Radiance: Wraith Kings, Volume 1

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

Soulbound: The Return of the Elves Series, Book 1

Arlyn's quest is simple: Find her father and let him know her mother is dead. After all, Arlyn had promised her mother she'd go. The problem? Her father's people are myths and legends, and he doesn't even live on Earth. But despite a long journey through the mysterious mists of the Veil, finding him turns out to be the easy part. Arlyn thought she would return to Earth after meeting her father. Now she must fight to save the family she never knew she wanted.

The Golden Dynasty

Circe Quinn goes to sleep at home and wakes up in a corral filled with women wearing sacrificial virgin attire - and she is one of them. She soon finds out that she's not having a wild dream; she's living a frightening nightmare where she's been transported to a barren land populated by a primitive people, and in short order she's installed very unwillingly on a white throne of horns as their queen.

A Duke to Remember

Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night the actress captivates London theatergoers with her chameleonlike ability to slip inside her characters. By day she uses her mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre & Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked to find the missing Duke of Ashland, she finds herself center stage in a real-life romance as tumultuous as any drama.

The Emperor's Arrow

Evony of Aureline, warrior of her people, has no intention of becoming a hideous old man's bride. Though her people have sworn their loyalty to the legendary emperor Galen, Evony knows little of courts and intrigue. It's simply not her world. Yet it's on the palace training grounds where Evony's archery skills gain her the respect of soldiers and legates alike. The emperor himself takes notice of the beautiful, ruthless warrior. In turn the young, steely eyed Galen is nothing at all what Evony expected.

The Werewolf's Christmas Wish: A Nocturne Falls Short

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do: she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India. Soon she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

The Curse of Tenth Grave: A Novel

As a part-time PI and full-time grim reaper, Charley Davidson has asked a lot of questions throughout her life: Why can I see dead people? Who is the hot supernatural entity following me? How do I get gum out of my sister's hair before she wakes up? But "how do I trap not one malevolent god but three?" was never among them. Until now. And since those gods are on earth to kill her daughter, she has little choice but to track them down, trap them, and cast them from this dimension. There's just one problem. One of the three stole her heart a very long time ago.

Risk

Simon Hunt is a masterful Mage when it comes to knives, solving puzzles, and women. But when a Mageri councilman asks for a personal favor, his skills are put to the test. He reluctantly accepts the impossible job of training a young Learner who is beyond anyone's help. She's beautiful, cunning, and disabled. If he succeeds he'll receive a hefty paycheck. But if he fails, more is at stake than merely his reputation.

Publisher's Summary

London, 1881

Once the flames are ignited...

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity...

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

The story is about a beautiful woman, Miranda, forced into marriage by her father. She has the power to create fire but refuses to use it or tell anyone about it. She also has an identity in the underworld of London as Pan. This is where our main characters first meet. Ben hides behind a mask, like in the Phantom of the Opera, not letting anyone see him. They don't even have sex for the longest time because of it. Miranda said it the best...she was his partner but not his wife. So it is quite obvious that they both have trust issues to work through.

The weakest part of the book, for me, was the romance. It was easy to identify the systematic formula used to lead us into the passionate moments. Each time the characters came together they moved to a new base, until they finally reached home. I wanted to scream "About time!" Talk about being teased.

When we finally get to the unveiling of the mask, I didn't guess 100% correct, but I was on the right track. That was a neat twist and the solution to the problem took on two point of views. It was interesting to listen to Miranda's view and then take a moment to know what Ben was experiencing too.

I wasn't expecting the villan to be who I thought it would be...although, looking back, I didn't like the person in question, but I didn't know how they fit in to the over all mystery...all the clues lead to that person tho. I don't read alot of mysteries, but I think that is what a reader is suppose to do...keep guessing. And if you can guess who did it the author didn't do a very good job of writing. So good job!

This book is one of the best that I've listened to. Great story with well paced action. Absolutely no slow spots. A Historical/Paranormal Romance that doesn't seem forced at all. And Moira Quirk's narration was flawless. I gave serious thought to listening to this book again half an hour after finishing it the first time. It's a book I'm glad to have on those occasions when I'm out of credits. Miranda's very entertaining sisters have their own books coming out. This is a no-brainer, auto-buy series. Very well done.

The author tells a good tale. The reader was a bit on the breathy side, kind of airy, but she did a good job and was worth listening to.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I tend to read romance's for the interaction between the hero and heroine, this was missing a bit of that. The murderer is kind of easy to figure out. The lying and hiding between the two is a bit off putting and kind of made it hard to finish.

What three words best describe Moira Quirk’s performance?

Breathy, Quiet, Solid

What would have made this romance irresistible?

More interaction between the two main characters, more dialogue and chemistry.

Any additional comments?

This is an entertaining book, not something I was expecting. I did enjoy most of it and found it worth the listen. I wish it had more romance as it is a romance and less focus on other characters or the non-mysterious murder. But it is worth the listen.

Firelight was highly addictive. Right from the beginning this book/audio drew me in. It made me INSTANTLY miss reading historicals. I’m picky with the historical romance books that I read since they aren’t my favorite genre but I do enjoy them. Firelight had the perfect mixture of historical with a paranormal twist, a touch of mystery and romance.

The story is about Miranda and Archer, their tumultuous relationship. Both of them are holding back secrets from each other. Archer will not reveal what he looks like, not many people know why, but you can imagine in London 1881 there is tons of gossip about him. Miranda holds powers that only her family knows about and have no clue of it’s origin. Miranda and Archer hit it off from the start. Miranda being slightly different herself will not shun Archer like others do.

Miranda is one tough cookie, she is not the typical meek young lady that will sit back and do as her father or husband says. She always speaks her mind and will not wait idly for anything, whenever action need to be taken SHE WILL take care of it.

Archer is an old soul. He is dark and sexy and very far out of the norm. Like Miranda, I was falling in love with Archer throughout the book without even knowing what he looked like.Their love for each other build through out the book. It was serious torture witnessing the sexual chemistry that crackled between them.

Callihan told Firelight from several point of views, although it was primarily through Archer and Miranda. Several other characters held the reins quickly but it was more so to enhance the story in my opinion not to take away from the main couple.

I think I would have enjoyed the book a little bit more if I had more info on how or why Miranda had her powers. But, I very much liked this book and can’t wait to hear more from Kristen Callihan and this Darkest London series.

Narrator Note: I heard some of my friends didn’t like this narration that much and was hesitant to start this one. I will say that I LOVED the narration in this audio. I’m a sucker for accents and her British accent I thought was right on. She also had very distinctive voices for each character, either male or female, boy or girl. I can’t wait to hear more of her narrations.

I found this book in my library and had forgotten i had it. I have just finished listening to this amazing author and narrator. The story has everything, suspense, excitement, love, lust, danger and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this story so much i must say it is the best book i have read for a long time. Defiantly in my top 10. So very GOOD :)

Would you consider the audio edition of Firelight to be better than the print version?

I prefer audio books to reading so I don't know

What did you like best about this story?

The interesting paranormal creatures

What about Moira Quirk’s performance did you like?

She was okay, I think she did a good job with Miranda's voice, but needs to work on the emotional undertones of the characters in the story. So she is not bad but she could do better.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought the story was well written or told It keeps you engaged throughout. The romantic connection between the two main characters, but it also leads you to want to know more about their world and the people who in habit it.

Yes! Very well written and read! The story was well paced and revealed just enough detail to keep the mind wondering about the rest of the mystery. The narrator was fantastic and actually enhanced the story with different accents and speech patterns that were very well done. Her interpretation of male voices was seamless and believable.

What other book might you compare Firelight to and why?

It is kind of a fairy tale. I wouldn't compare it to a single one--though it clearly has La Belle et la Bete overtones--because this story gives strength and power to the female lead. It was fun!

Have you listened to any of Moira Quirk’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nope. This was my first one. Wouldn't hesitate to listen to her again though! One of my new favorites!

I didn't have any high expectations for this book but I was pleasantly surprised, I really liked the story and was completely sucked in. Paranormal lore creatures running into each other in the 19th century with a side of lust and passion...what's not to love? Firelight's heroine is Miranda a beautiful fiery red head with green eyes, she is the youngest sister out of three sisters, with a special secret ability. Miranda's father is ruined in the world of business and is completely broke and so her father sells her hand in marriage to Lord Archer who literally hides behind a mask because he has a dark secret of his own. The book is very mysterious and alluring, which I completely love in a story. This book is credit worthy in my opinion.

This was like reading in the dark. I hoped by reading the first book in the series it would build the premise of the magic of the series. I felt that it was just assumed in many instances that the reader understood the authors ideas. By the end of the book I think I understood the storyline, but it would have made more interesting reading if we had more of the characters powers of magic up front. I felt the whole story was out of rhythm, written maybe as a form book without a clear vision from the author. Possibly the next books ripen, but I am waiting for the reviews before I invest.

This début novel combines Victorian London, the paranormal & romance with dark undertones interwoven with mystery and suspense.Kristen Calihan gives a breath of fresh air to the saturated and flagging paranormal genre, I found it refreshing and it fast became my guilty pleasure over two days, instead of doing household chores I hid myself away to finish the book.
The characters are well drawn and the chemistry between Miranda and Archer I found captivating but not in an obvious way. Archer is a damned tortured soul, whereas Miranda is determined not to be hidden away to get to the bottom of the mystery, with or without Archers help. Guaranteed read ...

Will definately be reading book two in the series :)

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

C

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom

9/17/12

Overall

"absolutely loved this!!"

I throughly enjoyed this to the point I didn't want it to end, It had just the right balance between normality and supernatural, The characters are fantastic and I really enjoyed the relationship between Archer and Miranda, It had a nice Gothic feel to it So brilliant! I brought the follow on Moonglow and am currently listening to it.

I cannot recommend this enough.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

susan

leeds, United Kingdom

6/27/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great characters, great story"

What made the experience of listening to Firelight the most enjoyable?

Moria Quirk's reading was brilliant but it was the characters that really made this so much fun to listen to

What did you like best about this story?

I think what I loved best was that despite being a not necessarily unique plot, it was still incredibly different to everything I have ever read. It's almost in it's own genre, kind of steampunk style but without the steam technology that makes steampunk what it is. I also really loved how inventive the author was. Through the whole book you basically know nothing about anyone, she holds all the cards & tiny dribbles of information slip out & even at the end there are things you think you know that haven't been confirmed yet. Brilliant author!

Any additional comments?

You probably want to get headphones if you are going to listen to this because even when people aren't actually getting amorous, they are thinking about it....not that it's bad necessarily, it's classily written, but it can be a little bit awkward if you think people might overhear....

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

angela

dundee, United Kingdom

3/20/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Dont bother"

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Complete and utter tosh.

What could Kristen Callihan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Stopped repeating the same thing over and over, miranda looked at the box, archer looked at the box, the butler looked at the box, the box lay on the table, the box was in the palm of archers hand, oh miranda gasped at the box, get my drift, the box had a silver ribbon, oh look at the silver ribbon on the box, same same long and drawn out drivel!

What three words best describe Moira Quirk’s performance?

Nice pleasant voice

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Nothing supernatural about this story at all. I always read reviews before buying a book and this sounded soooo good, its not, its boring!

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.